Writing Young Adult (YA) Books: Insights and Challenges
Writing Young Adult (YA) Books: Insights and Challenges (Guest Blog By Nalini Ramachandran) Jumpstart, ‘India’s only annual congress for children’s content creators’—which is organised by German Book Office—celebrated its 10th year in November 2018 through a two-day event at the Goethe Institut in Mumbai. ‘A Brave New World’, a panel discussion at the event, delved into the need for and contents of young adult (YA) books. The panel comprised Australian children’s books author Meredith Costain, Marathi children’s books author Madhuri Purandare, novelist and poet Sampurna Chattarji, and young author Zuni Chopra. Children’s books author Sowmya Rajendran, who moderated the session, touched upon five key aspects which throw light on the evolution of this genre. For authors who wish to dabble in writing for this readership, here’s an overview: YA books act as a bridge The emotional journey of young adults is distinct from that of children and adults, hen...